Tuesday, October 28, 2008

It's so nice after an incredibly hectic two months to finally sleep in my own bed and tuck my kids in. I returned home early yesterday morning (2:30) and I'm still walking around in a state of disbelief. Where are the wake up calls? The chocolate on pillows? The beds making themselves magically? The little soaps in boxes?

I'll have much more to say very soon, but for now I wanted to draw your attention to a contest I'm running over at PoliticalDerby.com to celebrate a friend's new book.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

The good news is I'm home for a couple days. The bad news is I'm home because I'm sick. I picked up a nasty flu bug on tour last week and had to head home from Nashville before my Portland events. Sorry Portland! We're already working hard to get another event scheduled before Christmas. And I assure you that you did not, repeat did not want to see me Friday and Saturday. It wasn't purty.

Hopefully by tomorrow (Monday) I'll be back in tip top shape, because I'm off on a road trip to Boise, ID. Can't wait!

So... I often get asked what signings are like. Thanks to my nephew Wil (aka Wilma, the Wilster, the Wilmanator) we have footage from a recent event in my old stomping grounds of Charlottesville, Virginia. It's not exactly a typical signing because I knew quite a few of the folks already, but it sure was fun.

Since Wil did such a fabulous job producing, directing and editing this, we decided it was worthy to be called Episode 5 of Jason's Cheesy Web Videos. Way to go, Wil!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

I'll have more to say about life and the state of the tour soon, but for now I thought I'd pass along this incredible note I got from a dear friend in the bookstore business. I'll let it speak for itself.

If you ever are without a story I highly recommend you sit in a large book store for a couple of months to observe....

Perhaps you will notice the lady running into the store as fast as she can to the women's restroom and locking herself in a stall. The Best Buy managers are not far behind chasing her through the store. Police follow however they are all men so they can't retrieve her and it's possibly too dangerous for us to go in and get her. A female police officer is called and she goes in and brings her out in handcuffs for credit card fraud.

One week later at 2:30 in the afternoon you would notice the lady entering the store absolutely falling down drunk screaming through the store for her children who we have paged but who are not in the store because they are in school! After falling down several times she purchases The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, leaves the store and attempts to enter 5 or 6 cars because she can't remember where hers is. She sits down to smoke a cigarette and we wonder what has happened in her life to cause her to be in this shape. We call 911. She finds her car and rolls down the window screaming for her kids as she drives by the store. Police arrive, and she voluntarily lays across the police car opening her mouth to allow the breathalizer to take place, and then is placed in handcuffs and taken away.

You might notice the nicely dressed gentleman who sits at the front of the store reading and sleeping all day long. Sometimes he arrives at 9 am and sometimes he arrives later in the day and we have to wake him up at closing. He has become homeless in the last 3 to 4 months. He is friendly but guarded. Nice gentleman, doesn't bother anyone or anything....just needs a place to rest his body....the recipient of my Christmas Jar this year.

Another gentleman is so excited to find the CD's his wife has wanted for a long time.....he is in the store waiting for his son to finish his Lasik surgery across the parking lot. He purchases his CD's, walks to the history department and drops dead of a massive heart attack despite attempts to revive him.

There is a younger gentleman who is walking around the store with his cell phone...as he approaches women wearing skirts he slips his camera under their skirt (without them knowing) and takes a picture. One woman reports him, we chase him out of the store and call police. One employee is able to bring him back but he gets in his car to drive away. The woman's husband stands in front of his car to keep him from leaving but he leaves anyway attempting to run over the husband.

As I walk past the restrooms one evening a genlteman comes out of the woman's restroom!! I'm a little stunned but don't think much more about it. A week later I'm at customer service looking down at something and when I look up there is the gentleman who walked out of the woman's restroom but he is now dressed as a woman! Reddish hair, large hands but manicured nails, knit top and a skirt....He/She asks for an application and applies as Angel!

Yes these events have all taken place at my store....in a nice, very well to do area, one of the fastest growing counties in the US!! I could go on and on and on!! Until I worked there I always assumed the book store was a nice quiet place to sit and read a book while drinking a hot coffee and enjoying a warm cookie!! My eyes have been opened!! So....if you are ever without a topic just sit yourself down in the book store....there are many stories and a ton of characters and they are not on the shelf!!!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Well that was fast... I only had about 15 hours in New Orleans and I'm posting this from my next stop, Phoenix. I was in the Big Easy just long enough to check-in to my hotel, change, take a cab to my event at the wonderful Octavia Books, take the same cab back, eat dinner nearby, sleep, and take a tour on the way to the airport in the morning.

But it was the cab ride I'll most remember. I was so fortunate to meet Walter the night before and keep him for all my rides. He's a NOLA native and he gave me an hour long tour of the Lower Ninth Ward. He was so gracious and accommodating.

I couldn't include everything we saw, and I apologize that the quality in places isn't the greatest, but I hope it reminds us all how much work is left to be done. If anyone or anything has ever deserved a "Second Verse" - it's New Orleans.